"slow cooker" veggie chili with sweet potatoes

First off, we visited MIL yesterday and she is in good spirits.

She still has a way to go with rehabilitation, but can walk the short distance to the bathroom by herself, which is a great improvement from the last time we saw her.

Onto today's post...Whenever I fly, I try to buy a magazine to keep me company, just in case the movies aren't interesting.

I saw this recipe for slow cooker chili in "Real Simple" on my flight back from Hawaii and wanted to try it because I thought chili would be perfect for this chilly weather and sweet potatoes are also in season here.

There were some problems though which is why I have part of the title in quotes...the main one being that I don't have a slow cooker.

On top of that, I don't know of anywhere that sells fire-roasted tomatoes here (if you know where they do, let me know).

Here is a link to the original recipe if you have a slow cooker and want to try this.

The following is my adapted version.

"Slow Cooker" Veggie Chili with Sweet Potatoes adapted from "Real Simple January 2011"

1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 carrot, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped

1 cup water + 1 can water

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
20 grinds cinnamon
5 grinds black pepper
a pinch of salt

flat leaf parsley
rice

Heat a pot and add the onions and oil.
Cook until transparent.
Add garlic.
Add carrot, red bell pepper and sweet potatoes.
Add beans and 1 cup of water.
Then add the tomatoes and fill the can with water and add to pot to rinse can.
Add spices.
Bring to a boil then turn heat down to simmer.
Simmer for 1 hour, stirring once in awhile and skimming off scum.

Serve over rice and garnish with some flat leaf parsley.

NOTES: the original recipe only called for the liquid from the canned tomatoes and 1 cup of water.

Since I don't have a slow cooker I wasn't sure if it didn't need much liquid to cook the chili, I also thought the amount of liquid was a little sparse for the way I was cooking it and added the can of water.

My cinnamon is in a grinder, so instead of measuring, I just grind out what I think is appropriate.

Same goes for my black pepper.

This was delicious but I think the next time I make this I'll cut the extra can of water out as it was a little watery and seemed to wash out some of the spiciness.

If you do try this in your slow cooker, let me know how it turned out for you.

p.s. today is 1.11.11

p.p.s. I'm sending this over to Deb's Souper Sundays!